I don't know, I haven't installed the race belts yet. I ran out of time before El Toro. :willy:

After about 4 hours of elbow grease, I finally have most of the rain washed off this baby top and bottom. :D It was worth it! I've got my first SCCA race coming up next Sunday. Rumor has it that we have been bumped from our normal lot to the best lot at Las Vegas motor speedway. The SCCA guys said they have only had the priviledge to run there once in 10 years. High speed and 70-80 second runs. :thumbsup: I can't wait!

These cars are definitely high maintenence when you use them at their limit. Of course having an all aluminum solid roller big block doesn't help. :unibrow: I haven't changed the oil since September so that was first. I always cut the filter open to anticipate any problems. Everything looked fine. It takes approx 12 qts between the engine and accumulator. I checked all the valves cold. Spec is .006 cold at .016 hot. Found only a few that were out of spec. One at .007, two at .008, and the loosest at .010. I pulled the distributor to check the gear. It needs replaced. The engine has 2500 miles or so and around 8 events so it was due for an inspection. Glad the oil filter bypass is blocked and I run a magnetic drain plug. I have another melonized gear on the way. Looks like I'll be replacing it every 2500 miles.(Every year)
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...ck1969/064.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...ck1969/040.jpg

After reflecting on the road race Sunday afternoon, I realized that my brakes felt spongy. Once I got the car home and pulled it off the trailer, they indeed felt really spongy pulling it into the garage. After a brake fluid inspection. The front resorvoir fluid is thrashed. The front rotors have been pretty hot. I'm going to lean towards overheating at this point with moisture a close 2nd. Anyway, I picked up a power bleeder at harbor freight for $25. I flushed the rears and fronts with genuine GM brake fluid. I'm going to give it a shot. It took two pints to clean up the front! I suspect my back to back to back to back to back runs on the 0-90-0 event are to blame here.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...ck1969/062.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...1969/021-1.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...ck1969/068.jpg

For those of you that have been following along, I made new rear shock brackets to give me an additional .5" of compression travel. I found that the car was bottoming out the rear shocks big time after the Optimat Street Car Invitational.(Since day one really) I raised the spring rate 100lbs as well. I took the car on 2 desert hail marys and ran the El Toro event. The RR always compresses about 3/16" more that the LR. Upon inspection, I have a good 1/4" of travel left. :thumbsup:
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...1969/033-1.jpg

I took the race belts to RTTC but was to busy and lazy to install them before the event. I finally got around to installing them last night. I opted for a set of Simpson old school harnesses. They are reasonably priced and this set up worked out perfect. Kelli cought me simulating putting a beat down on Carl, Gordon, or Rupp. :lol:
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...1969/019-1.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...ck1969/057.jpg

My last project for the day was to frame a piece of art my Dad sent me out of the blue. I was going to make it garage art but like it so much that it ended up in my game room.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...1969/012-3.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...1969/008-4.jpg

I still need to pull the front shocks and send them to DSE for a dyno session. I just ran out of time. After RTTC is was left feeling the front end was still soft. I have the compression cranked 23 of 24 and it still rides beautifully. Anyway, when I got to RTTC I had changed all the springs and you really don't know what you have until you go 100%. I started out with a tight chassis. (Front pushing) On the autocross I kept tuning in more and more compression and rebound. I ended up with 11 of 16 clicks to get the car to loosen up and rotate better. The problem is, the car gets pretty rigid back there with those shock settings. It felt pretty good in the autocross but was still to tight in my Sunday run on the road course. From what I've read, you don't want to adjust shocks to the extreme to balance out your chassis. When I switched from R888's to BFG's last year, the car went from good to ice skating. I had to take the rear bar off the car to get it to handle. Now that I've changed all the spring rates, I feel it may need a bar back on the rear to balance it out. I ordered a weaker rear bar from Helwig and will put it on for the event next Sunday. My hope is to get the rear shocks in a more compliant setting and raise the spring rate with the weaker sway bar. If I'm close, I'll play with tire pressure and mild shock settings to dial it in. If the front shocks are found to be weak, new shocks will only tighten up the chassis. I may be pulling the new rear bar on the lunch break. :D

The bottom line is I have the car back to where I feel it's a little faster than it was on R888's. The barometer is really my memory of how the car felt and running within .9 of David Pozzi in Bad Penny on the road course at RTTC.

Soon I'll be switching to a full floater out back or a floating caliper. Likely this Summer after a few events.

Obviously you're using the brakes proper. :thumbsup:

Since you're toasting distributor gears and a little under-powered could you run a Mallory crank-triggered ignition and front drive distributor to eliminate the gear wear and potential failure issue? :D

Sure, what the hell. I've got all kinds of room up front with my serpentine setup. I'd love to rewire my whole ignition system as well. :D Distributor gear wear is a fact of life with a high volume pump and anything but a cast iron distributor gear. As with many things in life, it's a compromise between a few different variables.

Underpowered compared to very few.

So oil viscosity creates the rapid gear wear?


http://www.silkoleneusa.com/images_t...8E0-320-0.JPEG

•0W-20 is an advanced racing engine oil based on new concepts in oil formulation

•This unique low viscosity synthetic cuts oil drag yet maintains a tough low-wear flim on highly stressed components

•Using the unique Electrosyntec technology 0W-20 engine oil provides both extra power and long term performance retention

•Developed and tested at the highest level by Factory Moto GP teams


Probably a little more money than switching out the gear every season, but the reduced drag would certainly give you a few more needed ponies in your underpowered hotrod. :D

That would net me about no oil pressure. :unibrow: This ain't no cbr1000 or factory tolerance engine.

Todd,

It is refreshing to see you doing the type of prep and maintenance to the car that should be done before events. So many don't think that autocrossing is "racing". It very much is and should be prepared for as such. :cheers:

On a side note, I am heading to Vegas next week for a trade show. I am flying in Wed. morning and flying out Sat. morning. I would love to hook up and see the car. I'm not a gambler so I would much rather bench race! Let me know what yah think. :lateral:

Chad, the road racing and 0-xxx-0 events are the hardest on the equipment. Autocross is so short with lots of rest in between runs.

Sure, I'll likely be stabbing the distributor, adjusting a few valves, and adding the sway bar a couple nights this week. I'll PM you my number.

Car is looking really good buddy, hopefully someday I'll have a tenth of the knowledge you have with these cars :thumbsup: Thanks for keeping us up on all the things that work and don't work, it's a lot of reading but your posts and detailed pics of everything are a huge help!!! :cheers:

I'm with you Chris, I love reading his posts. I rarely post here because I don't know enough to contribute, But I love the lessons I learn.:thumbsup:

That print your pops sent you is sweet. I gotta whip you in pool next time I come by. :unibrow:

Harnesses look good. I kinda like the old school style also vs the cam lock.

I'm sure what Kelli caught you simulating there.... trying to recover from a spinout? :lol:

Todd, that car is awesome. Such a bad ass machine. You've done a great job on working on it and tweaking it just to your specs.
Good luck.:thumbsup:

Is that a smile?:_paranoid :willy: :wow:

I may have had a frosty beverage or 3 before that episode.:unibrow:

Off the wagon already?

One weekend with Rich and I and 37 Bud Lights around oughta do it. :lol:

6X days of pure hell. :lol:

:lol: too funny! I had a BL for ya tonight as I packed the cooler for the weekend camping trip! :cheers:

Badstinkyfinger is ready for some roadcourse, Fernly or Buttonwillow? :cheers:

I've got 4 local events between now and May 22nd. That should keep me happy until Summer. How did you break my Jack?:D

Well, my hopes of a super fast autocross was trumped by getting my ass handed to me by every Miata West of the Mississippi. :rolleyes: They thought they had set up a fast course but it just didn't work out that way. It was slick asphalt and from what I can figure, it is the drag strip burn out dust. Even the guys with A6's and go karts said it was greasy.

Needless to say, my whole new rear sway bar deal didn't work out. Felt phenomenal on the street but was just to damn loose on this slow, slick track. So I took my shocks down to 0 and let air out of the rear tires in the morning and still couldn't get it planted. Lunch time was spent pulling the rear bar and going back to my El Toro settings. I only had 3 shots at it in the afternoon and ended up having to cut my shock setting in half from El Toro to start getting a real handle on the deal. I still think the bar would work on the road course, especially concrete. The positive side is it was a gorgeous day for a cruise and I found my settings for a slick slow asphalt track. :thumbsup:

I'm considering ditching these street tires and going back to R888's. I'd be forced to run exibition at the pro touring events but I run local SCCA events on a more frequent basis. That still allows me to drive the car to the race track and compete with all these SCCA guys on A6's and such. I can also still drive in the rain, etc...

After doing fairly well at El Toro, this was a real slap in the sack. I know this isn't an ideal autocross car, but that was **##**# embarrasing. Maybe I'm just losing that loving feeling...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kIxP9X5sEk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NumzISInve0

I hate spending money on tire's.........wait, let me rephrase, I cant afford to spend money on tires. On the R888's I'm finding that they are getting hard before the treads gone so I'm thinking they heat cycle out fairly early. RA-1's are awesome shaved but unfortunately they dont make anything bigger than a 275 IIRC.

All The NASA guys I run with use A6's. They warm up quick on the road course but they also get greasy quick but they dont seem to mind. They say by the time they fall off they have already laid down some fast times. This would be Time Trials, not racing.

I'd love to pick up some 200 tread wear tires and hang with you guys but I just cant afford to buy 2 sets of tires.

I'm going to try the R888's one more time this year and if They truly are gone I'm pulling the trigger on some A6's.

If you hate buying tires, don't go to A6's. :D I've talked to a couple people that have shredded them in ONE day Autocrossing on concrete. Why not an R6?

How did you break my Jack?:D[/QUOTE]

Is it all "Jacked up"? Wasn't that the "Jack Hoff 9000"?:_paranoid

I asked those guys the same question. They said the A6's were faster. These guys have been running them for years and I never bought them because of the expense. With the economy the way it is it may be a long time before I have the opportunity to do this so its either now or maybe never.

My second choice would be shaved RA-1's but word out on track is that the A6's are 3 seconds a lap quicker. 3 seconds is huge. RA-1's are kick ass when they are slicks. The only time I ever got a first place was when my RA-1's were slicks.

Damn dude... didn't even get to stretch your legs it looked like. So much for a nice fast course... bummer.

I always appreciate a nice power slide though. :unibrow:

That was the highlight of the day for sure. The camera doesn't do the power slide or save at the finish justice. Had about 10-15 clapping at the end. Next autocross is at Nellis Air Force base on concrete. Hope to let the pony's loose. :D

Hey Todd
 

Saw your smiling face on the Optima Challenge I re-watched last night.

Go over to www.corvetteforum.com go to "general corvette" and then to "auto cross and road race" section. You can find scubs and low heat cycle A6's and R888 cheap...maybe $75-$100 a tire. they come up pretty often in 18 inch sizes. You should be able to find the guy that deals in them and talk directly to him.

From what I have read over there you will need to run a lot of camber to keep from cording the edges of the A6 and R6. A-is for auto cross and soft compound and R is for the big track. Takes heat better but harder. Just like stated above most run the A6 for qualifying or time trial runs.

Might try running another one facing rearward. It's only time and money. :D

Love the videos Todd, makes me jealous, such a great motivator to keep me plodding along on my car :hail:

Just curious what you use to take the video?

Ugly sob, huh Payton? :unibrow: I've still got my old set of R888's in the garage. They have been rode hard and put away wet but they would still work on the track only.(Fronts are a little flat spotted and the rears fell victim to my right foot) Thanks for the heads up.. I'm going to shread these tires 1st. I may have to speed up their life expectancy. :unibrow:

Ed, I have the Go Pro HD Hero. Only have two gripes. You better put a full charge in it before every outing and the videos don't play back on either of my computers. They must be formatted through youtube before the video and sound play correctly. My advice to you is to keep it fun and take your time. I've enjoyed the journey and all the great experiences. You can push to hard and it becomes more like work. I've done this to myself a few to many times. I'm constantly talking myself out of this or that nowadays! I need a leash. :lol:

Forgot to post the action shot last night..
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_0236-2.jpg

Can't help ya on the full charge thing. :lol:

But have you tried editing the vid with a "3rd party" program before uploading to youtube? GoPro recommends this program that I use and it works great for me. I noticed you could've cut off the dead time before and after the action, and this program makes is super easy to do.

http://www.squared5.com/

I was thinking the same thing Dave.
Car sounds killer Todd. Good luck with the tires bud.:cheers:

In the first vid it sounded like there was a 50cc motorcycle reving its engine behind you. The 2nd vid showed how 200 tread wear tires really dont do our cars justice. Always fun watching someone slide around though.

We always have 2-3 shifter carts show up. Talk about bang for the buck. I'm done running SCCA autocrosses on 320 treadwears. I just haven't figured out my direction just yet. :D

What's the word on the street about the Nitto NT05's?

The word is they don't fit my rims and I'm not interested in street tires no mo.:D